Monday, July 8, 2013

There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man...

I could hear him...

We were sitting on the front patio talking and our conversation was interrupted by a visitor... I knew who it was and Fred knew who it was...Although we were both lacking of shoes at that moment, we braved the sharp gravel path 'bare-foot' to acknowledge the visit from that special creature making his appearance...

I was the first to go look. I turned the corner around the front of the house and headed down the gravel path.

As soon as I said, "what are you doing?" I could see him...

He gets a visit from one, or both of us, a couple times a day, but a couple times is never enough. "A horse will cross any bridge you build as long as the first one is from him to you." Albeit, in this instance, "a wall"...

Even the big, block wall won't keep Indy out ~ of course, standing on the outside peeking into the yard inflames the dogs and it's obvious Indy gets great pleasure out of that. Indy is a "trick-ster"... He loves the drama of making a ruckus. And, he loves to interrupt conversations~!

We just put the horses in this pasture around the yard this morning and Indy was investigating EVERYTHING. He is a nosy creature with sufficient height to be a "peeping tom," over the fence...

I have to stand on the rock bench, on my 'tipi-toes' to reach him,
because I'm so short at 5'2". But, Fred is 6' 7" and can stand on the ground and enjoy a peek over the wall with no effort...

Indy seen Fred coming after a few loves from me and his attention went directly to his "Best Friend"...

Fred bought me this "Independent" (Indy, for short) gelding at a horse auction years ago and for 4 years, he just picked on me. At our first introduction, he bit me. Trust me, in the beginning, he bit me ALOT...

One time when he was younger, I went into the coral to dump his trough and refill it and he grabbed me by my braided hair and drug me across the pasture. Fred's mother saved me from the adventure by beating him with a broom. Another time, I was talking to someone and he pulled the drawstring out of my yoga pants and my pants fell down. This 'trick-ster' of a horse pulled every game in the book on me in his first few years with us. I was holding him while he was getting new shoes one time and he lifted me off the ground by my shirt. He picked on me relentlessly and I gave up on him ~ I gave him back to Fred. The bruises weren't worth the effort. I actually wanted him gone when he was younger. Our relationship was a mess. He was so sweet to everybody but me. I was his play toy and I grew sick of the game...

I realize now that the problem was that he had chose Fred as his best friend, not me. He picked on me because that got Fred's attention. And, he's HUGE, so intimidating me was easy. Intimidating Fred wasn't an option. He quickly learned respect. If he was going to be with Fred, it was going to be with some manners and he complied with Fred's requests where mine went ignored...

It is true that a horse "picks his partner"...

But at the time, it was depressing that Indy hadn't picked me...

Looking back on it now, I'm happy he picked Fred.

They have a bond that is unbreakable and in the beginning,

I was positive this horse "Indy" wasn't even 'break-able'...

He listens to Fred...

He respects Fred...

And, since Fred accepted him as his own, he mellowed out with me...

Indy is like a "big dog" now. He's awesome with our grandbabies. He's a sweet, old, horse that just requires alot of attention and love now, by way of petting and carrots...

And, he's Fred's best friend...

The rejection I suffered was a good thing, because I found me a smaller horse "Little Ray," that took to me like Indy did to Fred. And, I feel quite vindicated, because mine only comes to me. So, I have mine all to myself~

And another good thing came out of this visit. Fred is determined to redo the whole gravel path next year with patio pavers, so he doesn't have to brave the sharp gravel bare-foot ~ that will be awesome~!

And he whispered to the horse...

"Trust no man in whose eyes you do not see yourself reflected as an equal."

Blog Archive

About Me

Well, my name is Jen...I've lived through my first "Mid-Life" thing and I'm currently in the process of "Creating Myself" and renovating an old, 1890's farmhouse and somewhat "neglected" acreage (homestead?).I've done alot of things in my life, but I always forgot to do things for me.